Deadly car bomb blasts rock Somali capital
At least eight people were killed in a double car bomb attack in Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Saturday, police told CNN, with several TV staffers reportedly among them.
Posted — UpdatedThe blasts occurred in central Mogadishu, near the National Theater, the presidential palace and the Daljirka Dahson monument. At least 13 people were injured.
Plumes of smoke rose over the streets as emergency vehicles sped toward the blast scenes. A heavy police presence was reported in the area.
Senior journalist Awil Dahir Salad was among several staff members of London-based Universal Somali TV to be killed, according to the station.
Al-Shabaab, a militant group linked to al Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the attacks in a statement posted on affiliated websites. A suicide bomber drove a car filled with explosives to the gate of the presidential palace and killed presidential guards, the statement said.
The blasts are the latest in a series to hit the capital.
Somalia has been a regular focus of US counter-terror efforts. US airstrikes targeting Al-Shabaab have killed 62 militants in the East African nation this month, US Africa Command said Monday.
The United States reestablished a permanent diplomatic presence in Somalia at the start of December, citing the country's progress in recent years. It closed its embassy in Mogadishu in 1991.
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